The 2025 Kids Folkstyle State Championships brought three action-packed days of wrestling to the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, Wisconsin. The event, part of the WWF State Tournament Series, featured 2,595 wrestlers who earned their spots by placing in the top three at one of eight qualifiers across the state last weekend.

Doors opened each morning at 7:30 am, followed by warmups and the Grand March at 8:40 before the first whistle at 9 am. It sounds straightforward on paper, but the Grand March is just one of those things you need to see to truly feel the excitement, energy and emotion. Athletes cruise into the arena from the edges of the mats, and wrap around until the floor is entirely flooded—banners waving, some on each other's shoulders, doing flips here and there as they represent their schools and clubs, and everyone in the arena cheers for them. It’s a sight to behold.

The middle age groups in the boys’ division took the mats first, setting the tone for the weekend. And they did it in style, too—ready to wrestle, some sporting colored polka dot hair, colorful singlets, and parents holding up cardboard cutouts, banners, and an entire arena packed with wrestling families.

A special moment on Friday night was the sighting of three wrestling leaders together—USA Wrestling President and Olympic legend Bruce Baumgartner, former WWF State Chair Dave Black, and current WWF State Chair Todd Schaaf. Their decades of dedication to the sport were captured in a photo full of wrestling excellence and servant leadership. 

Saturday showcased an interesting dynamic with the youngest and oldest boys. The youngest are going into what is maybe their first taste of a major tournament and you can see them learning to manage emotions in the moment, stand on their own in the center of the mats, and navigate the ins and outs of competing potentially in their first season of wrestling.

Meanwhile, the 8th graders are fiercely competitive. They know the drill and are eager to finish out their youth careers at the top before stepping into high school wrestling.

The other exciting thing to watch out for is which of the 8th-grade boys and girls make the transition to wrestling freestyle and Greco-Roman in the spring. Some of the toughest wrestlers over the weekend will take the first step in representing Team Wisconsin at the 14U National Duals in Oaks, Pennsylvania, for the boys and Westfield, Indiana, for the girls this June. This next step might be the thing that changes the course of their wrestling journeys as they get plugged into the national team and the Olympic styles, opening doors for visibility and, ultimately, what USA Wrestling calls the “Path to the Podium”—its selection criteria for Pan-American and world teams.

Sunday belonged to the girls' divisions for the second consecutive year as the girls’ wrestling boom continues. There were 763 competitors this year, an increase of 181 from last year. It’s been remarkable to witness the wrestling community embrace girls wrestling and what it is growing into here in Wisconsin. 2025 marks the 15th year the WWF has had divisions for girls wrestling at the state championships.

The WWF would like to extend a massive “Thank You” to the dedicated volunteers and officials who make this event possible. From the whistle to registration, weigh-ins, setup, and behind-the-scenes operations—your dedication to wrestling makes this event a reality for our youngest competitors!

It was an incredible weekend of wrestling, and we’re energized to move into the next stages of spring wrestling—freestyle and Greco-Roman.

Click here to view the complete results from the 2025 Kids Folkstyle State Championships on TrackWrestling.

Click here to view photos from Kids State by Paul Stumpf. 

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The Wisconsin Wrestling Federation, guided by USA Wrestling, provides quality opportunities for its members to achieve their full human and athletic potential. Wisconsin Wrestling Federation will strive to be USA Wrestling’s best state organization.